Pakistani mangoes are in great demand in China after successes in Europe, Central Asian states, and Gulf states, Chairman of Mango Growers Association Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi said on Sunday. Pakistani mangoes, he said, had become the centre of attraction in the largest retail chain of China ‘Wal Mart’ where the king of fruits was being offered for sale. Pakistan exporters, he said, had taken a lead by exporting 40 tons of mangoes to China. Interestingly, India registered for mango export to China in 2003 and Pakistan in 2006. He said China is a major market and a three-member Chinese team would visit Pakistan to conclude an agreement for the purchase of 100 tons of mangoes. Gardezi said Pakistan exported mangoes to 11 countries and was ranked fifth in global mango production. “We produce about 1.6-2 million tons of mangoes every year,” he said. To meet the global standards, mangoes are treated before export. There are four known ways of treatment, out of which three are recognised across the world: hot water treatment, vapour heat treatment and irradiation. He said that owing to 27-year-long research work, Pakistan had a capacity to treat 15 tons of mangoes per hour. Moreover, Pakistan’s private sector had the ability to keep mangoes on shelf for 35 days after treatment. Other countries, however, were able to keep the fruit on shelves for just a week.
